Pursat’s Potential – Electricity and Agriculture
It is a great pleasure that after staying overnight in Pursat in 2012 for the handing out of land title for our people, I spent the night here once again. In just two weeks, I have come twice to Pursat. I also took the time to visit the hydraulic project at Thlea Ma Am, which is under construction. Last time I visited the one at Damnak Ampil. Taking that opportune moment I also inspected the way people are building up their living conditions. We had frank discussion with one another, which, to me, has reflected our affection and respect of each other.
As for today, we have three bailey bridges to put into official use – one in Prek Themi, one in the commune of Lolok Sar and one in the village of Veal, Anlong Vil commune of Kandieng district. Today we also are launching the construction of two roads and four concrete bridges and some culverts. I would say that we are putting into official use some projects but also launching the construction as well. I would express my sincere appreciation and thanks for the efforts made by provincial and other authorities and relevant Ministries of Economy and Finance, Public Works and Transports, Rural Development, Water Resources and Meteorology, etc. for the continued progress of the province of Pursat.
There are two great potentials of Pursat. Electricity is one of them and it is going to supply to Phnom Penh, Battambang, Banteay Meanjei and Siemreap. Even thougn some hydropower stations are in Koh Kong, their transmission lines are also running across this province. The second potential of its kind is agriculture, which is making tremendous progress. We have the hydraulic project of Damnak Ampil, Jarek and more are under constructions. This allows people to grow rice twice or even thrice in Pursat. We anticipate more development in this sector thanks to the land titling program for which our youth student volunteers and cadastre officials are here present.
CPP Won All Four Seats in Pursat
We will continue our efforts to score more achievements on the land of Pursat. It should be noted that the Ministry of Rural Development is having five-asphalted road projects of 80 Kilometres in hand at the districts of Bakan, Krakor and Kravanh. HE Suy Sem, Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy and HE Keo Rattanak, Director General of Electricte du Cambodge, just discussed with me about building a 40 Kilometre long road in Krakor that is going to run through a number of provinces and link to a tourist destination. I instructed to list the project in the 2014 development plan. We have planned to oversee the construction of not less than 400 Kilometres of asphalted roads per annum. Thanks to the loans provided by the Asian Development Bank and the Republic of Korea, our people in Pursat benefit from the plan before other provinces.
I would take this moment to express my sincere thank for HE Suy Sem and Madame, officials of the Cambodian People’s Party’s working groups for Pursat for their efforts. I learn from HE Keo Rattanak that for over ten years now they have their heavy construction machines and equipments here for the construction of canals, dams, etc. I hereby express my deepest and greatest thanks to the people in Pursat for steadfastly voting the Cambodian People’s Party. In the fourth legislative term of the National Assembly, the Cambodian People’s Party won all four seats. Making calculation based on the number of votes during the communal election last year, the Party would take all four seats with 10,000 votes remaining in extra.
I would like to take this opportune moment therefore to express my sincere thank for grandfathers and grandmothers, grandaunts and granduncles, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters for placing their confidence in the Cambodian People’s Party in the national elections, which also means placing their trust in my leadership. In the time coming I anticipate that the people in Pursat will continue to vote for the Cambodian People’s Party, bearing number four on the ballot. If you have affection, pity, satisfaction and trust in me to be your Prime Minister, please vote number four.
Like Father Like Son
It seems that the opposition has planned to win two seats in Pursat. Let us remind them that even before when it won all four seats, the Cambodian People’s Party retained three seats always. Some politicians said there would be new voices from the youth, which will change the status of the votes. We may have very simple explanation from where are these youths coming? In our conversation with some members of the National Assembly of the opposition party, who came to my house, like Mao Monivan, Kim Suphirith, and some I do not name names, and I have audio proof, I asked them the way they build their youth network. They said they recruit their youth activists from families and parents who support them.
I responded to them that it is the same. Take for instance, the rate of support for the Cambodian People’s Party is over 60% and since they have more children, their children will follow their parents in voting for the Cambodian People’s Party too. Since you have 20% votes, your number of youth would come from the 20% too. In this simple comparison, we will continue to maintain the majority. We may have yet to include those from other parties that are joining with the Cambodian People’s Party. Some officials for instance formerly belonged to a different party, but they are now becoming those of the Cambodian People’s Party and their families’ members will too. For example, HE Serei Kosal, who formerly was a member of Funcinpec and later Norodom Ranaridh’s Party, but he now is a member of the Cambodian People’s Party. When he becomes one, his wife and children would be too. This would be for the whole family.
It is in this note that the youths that are coming into play are coming out from their parents too. When their parents stand on the Cambodian People’s Party side, they will not do it differently. There has been some odd things too that some children may have influence over their parents. In Pursat, there is a case to note that when their parents are for the opposition parties, their children are for the Cambodian People’s Party. That is a bizarre case. Along this trend, as I said, no matter how many more times we vote, the same result would prevail. It is a family issue.
The point however is whether voting for the Cambodian People’s Party, for which Hun Sen would become the Prime Minister, is going to yield good things or not? Why not when (voting for the Cambodian People’s Party) where there used to ferry has been replaced with bridges. More so that we will have more asphalted roads, schools, hospitals, etc. People will also check on these achievements too as they continue to give votes, and to give an increasing number of votes too. On this note, it seems that their call for change has better effected their inside changes from one Party leader to another, whereas we continue to be a sign of deity spreading flowers. Let us give people their rights to choose.
Be Professional, Press People
As for today, I learn that our event organizing committee has provided with 12,000 chairs but there are more participants than expected. I would however urge some press people to take their work to a more professional level because if they write something different from the truth, it would otherwise be a detriment to their work. Take this example, you may write Hun Sen talked to a few hundreds of people, where it was more. Readers will see on TV that it was not a few hundreds. If you love very much to downgrade it, you may not need to refer to number but only “talking to the event in Pursat …” You would not have problem with your boss in this case. It is all because of your unprofessional account and reporting, you would suffer your professional damage and readers would discredit your work. You aim to earn something but you will lose more.
This is no different from the case that some would wish to earn from saying things like “why the Khmer Rouge had been so foolish to leave proof of their killings if they were truly committing the crimes.” It is clear to everyone that the person wished to place the blame on the Cambodian People’s Party and Vietnam. I also learned that yesterday the same person went to the district of Loeuk Dek of Kandal where he blamed 7 January day. Young people there disagreed with what he said and rebelled and he had to rush into his car. I am calling however for our people to be patient. No matter how nonsense his words were, words, and not stones, should be the response. As the ruling party, we must maintain social order as any bad thing happens we will be responsible for and I urge the opposition party to be considerate while they insult the Cambodian People’s Party. I warn them of the mass reaction.
Let’s Be Patient
There has been a story of two women in conflict. The bigger woman chased and gave the smaller one a fight. The small woman escaped and took shelter behind the monk who just arrived. The Buddhist monk then said to the big woman to keep their patience high. The big woman could not approach the small woman who hid behind the monk anymore. She could not give here a fight with hands. She then picked up a piece of soil and threw. The soil missed the small woman and hit the monk’s head. Losing patience, the monk said to the woman hiding behind him that would you hold my sack for me, I would give the woman a good fight. From the one who told the conflict partners to be patient, being hit right in his head, he also lost his patience.
I am placing an appeal to the opposition party and others to advertise your own products and not to insult others. The Cambodian People’s Party, known to everyone, liberated the country from the Pol Pot’s genocide and restored country as is reflected by achievements in Pursat. I still remember this grandfather Soh, a Khmer Islam, who went from here to look for me in Takhma, Kandal province, asking for help for the construction of a mosque. Responded to my question “how come are you coming this far to see me?” grandfather Soh said where else could he go when the boss is here. He was the one who gave the answer about who was born before whom between Ala and Buddha. Grandfather Soh said they both were born at the same time – 7 January 1979.
Two Life-Devoting Missions
It is emphatically true. We were about to die altogether under Pol Pot. On 7 January 1979, we all survived and so do our religions and faiths. Buddhism and Muslim came to existence one again. Together we worked hard to achieve peace. I traded my life for the liberation of our people on 7 January and for peace negotiation with the late King Father, and finally we realized the national reconciliation. Once again, after all this, I traded my life to go into former Khmer Rouge’s areas of Pailin, Samloat, Kamrieng, Phnom Proek and Mealai for the sake of final integration of our country. I can still remember when my late mother and my grandaunt came into my room and warned me in their concerns of my safety for doing so. I said to them “Mom and grandaunt, if I were to die, it would be a death of me along with my entourage, but if I were to get back, we will get the whole country together.”
Would anyone dare to do what I did? Where were they? Some of them would just run out of the country quickly when something happened. One of them dare not return to the country and blame me for that. I sacrificed everything, with other leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party, for peace and the people. I fulfilled a proud mission – to liberate the people from the genocide regime of Pol Pot and with the support of the Cambodian People’s Party leaders, to conduct negotiation in every corner of the world for peace and national reconciliation until we achieved the Paris Peace Agreement.
It is everyone’s knowledge that the United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia (UNTAC) withdrew from Cambodia after it spent over two billion USD and left the country under the control of two governments. Once again, that called for my sacrifice for final national integration. I did what had to be done for the sake of our people and to make peace. I was committed to do what other people would find it difficult to do. I had to take the job in my own hands to convince our people in Samloat, Pailin, Phnom Proeuk, Sampeo Loun, Kamrieng and Mealai or even Taken Koh Sla of the mission. It was far from simple matter.
Win-Win Policy Results In Economic Growth
Implementing the win-win policy, Cambodia has changed its status from being a country under many factional controls to one that is residing under one King, Constitution, legislative, executive, tribunal powers and armed forces. We have since then scored growth in our economy, for which the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank are bearing their positive expectation. In between 2004-2007, the country scored two-digit growth, let alone in 2005, the growth shot up to 13.3%. We suffered however from the world financial crisis and economic downturn. It pulled us down. We however managed to pulled through and again mark our achievement of 7% growth per annum.
In 2011, despite severe flooding and border war, we could still achieved 7.1% growth, and in 2012 7.3%. We have good indication that we may achieve above 7% growth still. Take this into a picture for the people of Pursat, started in 2008 and progresses on, what have you seen at your doorstep? You have more bridges, roads, schools, hospitals, religious shrines and most important of all changes to the status of your families. This would exclude people who like to gamble and mortgage their belongings. Some people sold their houses, mortgaged their lands in order to secure one’s candidacy being in a Party’s list. Some people failed in the election so they had to live with debts in their lives.
Causing Division in Opposition
Today I may want to clarify one thing. There are statements by the opposition recently that the Cambodian People’s Party is applying the policy to cause division among them. Have people listened to the abuse and grotesque terms used by the opposition leaders when they competed with each other? Was that what caused by the Cambodian People’s Party as well. They insulted each other grotesquely. They even cursed each other to dissolve. Was that my work too? Should you let me cause division among you, you may consider that you are politically impotent and leading a country is even far from fact.
When you said that other people cause division in your rank, you may reconsider if you are animal or human being. For example, a flock of animals in the same farm fought each other because some of them have been coloured differently. It is shameful to say such thing. Trading their words, they accused each other as puppet of Hun Sen. Both of them talked to me on different account and said about each other as facedown opposition. This should reveal the nature if they could be future leaders of the country. After a long fight and insult, they now are embracing each other. I wonder if it is not a time bomb between them. There have been examples of big and strong party that consequently broke into pieces.
I just want to send a message to them that it would be best for them not to continue to brag about the Cambodian People’s Party dividing you because it would reveal that you are weak and your claim to be future political leaders of the country would be in big question.
Koem Sokhon Discrediting His Brother
Secondly, you also said that the Cambodian People’s Party uses your brother Koem Sokhon to discredit you. It is absolutely the right and freedom of HE Koeum Sokhon. He said while talking to the people that when he himself could not live with his brother, who else would be able to live with him? He is blood brother of the opposition leader and he pulled over when he could not take more of it. There is one more brother who said if ever anything happens, please do not include me with him since he is good at telling lies long ago. That brother works at the Custom House and is with the Cambodian People’s Party all along. It would not be my place to prevent HE Koeum Sokhon from exercising his political rights.
HE Koeum Sokhon possesses his method of speaking and no one has instructed him of what to talk about and/or how to talk it. It is absolute normalcy that as a member and official of the Cambodian People’s Party, whether you like it or not, he is going to protect the Party’s policy. Why do they say that the Party uses one brother against the other? If that person did not speak, we also would not have his visual and voice for the media as well. It is absolutely worth thinking when HE Koem Sokhon said who else could live with him when his brother could not even do so.
Hun Sen’s Pressure on Thailand
There is a third part to this story. Yesterday I affirmed in Kompong Chhnang that when that person left Cambodia, I did not chase him out. Should he choose to return, I also would not prevent him from doing so. He then said that if he were not present, the election would be illegal. Why does he not come then? You can come in by any flight. Days ago, he was not allowed to enter Thailand. He then went on to Singapore. According to law in Singapore, he could stay but could not perform political action. He then left Singapore for Kuala Lumpur and I doubted why not to Paris? His plan was to have a meal with the opposition (party in Malaysia). He was not allowed to get off the plane so I guess he could be on his flight back to Paris. We just get the news. Malaysia did not allow him to enter because the opposition party in Malaysia has been causing a lot of trouble and they would not risk allowing this.
Let me now take you back to Thailand. The opposition leader in self-exile and a convict has accused me of putting pressure on the Royal Government of Thailand. Let us stay on this matter a bit. He seems to have given me very high value in saying so. The reason so is because according to what he said I have the power to place order not only in Cambodia but also on the Royal Government of Thailand. It is absolutely the Royal Government of Thailand’s decision and authority when it decided not to let anyone in their country. No one could force them to do so. Thailand is a sovereign nation and no one can make this decision on its behalf. I would see that as an insult on the Royal Government of Thailand, whose Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, is in Cambodia for a meeting.
Hun Sen Should Go On as Prime Minister
My dear fellow country citizen, as someone gave me this a high value, should I not accept it? It is widely written in the Thai newspaper as well that in the time of Techo Sen, the Thai or Siam requested help from Cambodia. It was for hundreds of years that Cambodian sought after help from Thailand. We have the history of the spirit of Khleang Moeng and Chumteav Khan Khieu, under the reign of Preah Chan Raja. If they considered Hun Sen to be this strong, it should be correct to vote for Hun Sen to continue leading the country. Were they to say the same thing for the Governments of Singapore for keeping him in the hotel or Malaysia (for preventing him from entering), I think they should give me the votes.
Some major powers could not put pressure on Hun Sen but it turns out that Hun Sen could tell other countries to do what he wants, according to what the opposition leader said. Would it not be good for me to lead the country and represent this nation? For you, denied entry and entry with no political activity put you far away from the value. It seems that after serving for almost thirty years, I am the best candidate for the post of Prime Minister. I would urge all foreign countries not to include me with the opposition when it comes to this political naivety. At least I have led ASEAN Summits twice, including one that many leaders of world powers participated.
I played the role of coordinator between ASEAN countries and the European Union in what is called the Asia-Europe Summit. They chose me as vice president of the meeting of the non-aligned movement. I gave my discourse at the United Nations General Assembly. I conducted various negotiations with the UN Secretary Generals – Peres de Cuellar, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon. I think for having done all these jobs, you let me go on this one – not to include me in this flock of fools.
A War Declared
As the situation is now calm on issue of the border with Vietnam, they have once again made fire about demanding Kampuchea Kraom, Ho Chi Minh city and Koh Tral. We have no choice but to replay the recorded main statement and elaboration on the demarcation of land boundary and maritime delimitation between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. As I said yesterday, if we were to gain them back by fliling the case to the International Court of Justice, the late Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk would not leave the matter for your or our concern. He could have done it long ago for the sake of regaining lands from the ancestors and national development – to the east, west and north.
What we should say more is why this was not done under Lon Nol then? Lon Nol hold power for five years. Why did he not file the case to the ICJ to gain those lands back and why in 1993, the Constitution was written using the map of the present scale? Now that you are demanding Kampuchea Kraom, Ho Chi Minh, etc., a war is already declared and in waiting, and I would held you accountable for that since I have your tape recorded here from many places where you talked about this. All TV statinons have made different versions and lengths (of the presentation in the National Asembly of main statement and elaboration on the demarcation of land boundary and maritime delimitation between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam) to prove the historical aspect of the issue . I could not allow them to scold us younger generation for the lost land.
I have to return to Phnom Penh a bit early because of two reasons. First, my father’s health which is irregular. Today we may have to fly in the medical experts from Singapore. We have infused blood already but it seems his condition has deteriorated. Last night, in conversation with my wife, we may have to fly in a group of medical experts from Singapore to examine him since we cannot send him to hospital anymore. On another front I have a scheduled courtesy call of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand, accompanied by various ministers and governors of the provinces along the Thai-Cambodian border.